ICC Women’s Championship: India create history, beat England to take unassailable lead

Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey’s four-wicket hauls, combined with yet another fifty from Smriti Mandhana helped India women avenge their 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup final loss against England as they achieved a seven-wicket win in the second match at the Wankhede stadium on Monday to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series. India had won the earlier game by 66 runs and this result will help them immensely as they look to secure direct qualification for the ICC Women’s World Cup. This is the first time in history that India women’s cricket team has won two consecutive bilateral series.

England chose to bat but were reduced to 44/4 with Jhulan and Pandey wreaking havoc. Natalie Sciver and Laura Winfield strung a 49-run stand for the fifth wicket. Poonam Yadav broke the stand and from that point, Pandey was at her absolute best as she ran through the lower order. Sciver hit a brilliant fifty but once she was trapped LBW by Jhulan, England managed to bat only 43.3 overs to reach 161. In response, Jemimah Rodrigues fell cheaply to Anya Shrubsole but Mandhana and Punam Raut steadied the ship.

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Mandhana, who had scores of 105,90,158,36 and 86 in the three ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals in New Zealand, continued her great run as she struck yet another attacking fifty. After Raut fell for 24, Mandhana and Mithali Raj shared a 66-run stand as India sealed a brilliant seven-wicket win.

The win continued Indian cricket’s domination when they won the first ODI by 66 runs. The first match was marred by a low crowd attendance with just under a 100 people attending the near 50,000 capacity at the Wankhede. Rodrigues (48) and Mithali (44) helped India reach 202 but Ekta Bisht showed her class by taking 4/25 in eight overs.

With this win, India are in the second position in the ICC Women’s Championship. South Africa thrashed Sri Lanka 3-0 while Pakistan women secured a historic series win against West Indies. Australia’s Southern Stars also defeated the White Ferns in the current series in Australia.  

HIGHLIGHTS

• India won the series against England with a game to go.
• India have won two consecutive ODI series for the first time.
• The series is part of the ICC Women's Championship.